


Will You Notice?

by Philisinadress23



Category: Naruto
Genre: First Love, Fluff, Gaara still doesn't understand emotions, Love Confessions, Minor Angst, Misunderstandings, Multi, Shy Rock Lee, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-08-19 17:06:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16538690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philisinadress23/pseuds/Philisinadress23
Summary: Gaara doesn't understand a thing about love and Lee's too quick to assume the worst. They both need a bit of a push in the right direction so who'll make the first move? Or will there ever be a first move to make?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have 3 chapters! I'm a new writer to AO3 so this is gonna be a bit confusing to use and operate-

 

  Gaara stared down at his desk in thought, subconsciously counting the minutes that seemed to go by so slowly. Papers were neatly stacked on his brown desk and beside him on the floor, his paperwork almost completely finished. With this in mind, he started to wonder what he should do after he was done. He usually had other work to keep his mind busy but today was a very slow and unproductive day. Maybe he should take a walk and converse with his people? Maybe go home and rest? Gaara immediately scoffed at that thought. Yeah right…

 

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door, surprising Gaara a bit out of his thoughts and squinting his eyes in minor confusion. He could have sworn that he told Temari to tell everyone to leave him alone for the rest of the day. She wouldn’t forget something like that.

 

“Come in.” Gaara spoke, his voice a tad bit more gruff from not speaking all day. He stood up from his desk and looked down at his village from an open window, watching people walk by with soft smiles on their faces. Some children were playing tag with each other while their mothers spoke to one another. It made Gaara feel content that there was peace in his village as he ruled.

 

“Good evening, Kazekage-sama!” Said a happy voice near the now opened door. Gaara only blinked in response, the voice automatically clicking in his mind to a face then a name.

 

“Lee…” The Kazekage said in a slightly low and warning tone, turning to face the older boy and watching with mild satisfaction as the other tensed and blushed once he realized his mistake. Gaara had been trying for the longest time to get Lee to just say his name. He didn’t feel as if Lee had to announce his authority when they were already so close. Were they? Were they even friends? Lee always called him one of his “youthful friends” so he guessed that it was so.

 

Anyways, even when Gaara spoke up to him about it, he would almost immediately apologize and bow to him, saying that he’ll try not to do it again and if he did, he’ll run a hundred miles around Suna. Which, might Gaara add, he would stop Lee from doing so before he broke into a sprint.

 

“My deepest apologies, Gaara-kun.” Lee said with a smile as he slowly untensed and walked over to Gaara’s desk, the door closing behind him with a soft thump. “The Fifth Hokage has given me the task to come here and request for your assistance. She has also brought a scroll for you to look over with the details.” He spoke clearly as he grabbed a scroll from behind him and set it down gently on the desk in front of him.

 

Gaara let himself glance down at the scroll before his eyes set on Lee’s face, taking notice as to how those round eyes seemed to be looking a bit above him and not directly at him. How peculiar. Now that he’s thinking about it, he realised how many times Lee has visited him for a mission or report over the last couple of months. Some reasons weren’t even as important enough for someone to physically send them. A messenger bird would probably be easier. Why would Lee risk rest in sending these scrolls to him?

 

“Thank you, Lee. I’ll read them once I have the time.” Which is literally anytime today, even right now would be best but he was distracted by the way that Lee seemed to hesitate in his spot. It looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t which was a strange thing for Lee to do considering that the boy was all about voicing his opinion and speaking “youthfully.” But no, he hesitated.

 

“Lee. Why is it you that always seems to come bring me these certain tasks and requests? Couldn’t Lady Tsunade send over a messenger bird or give the task to someone else when you aren’t available?” Gaara said softly but clearly, taking note as to how Lee seemed to tense the second time today and blush mildly.

 

“Oh! Well, I am always free when it comes to helping out Hokage-sama! I also feel that it comes with the wonderful reward of seeing and talking to you again, Kaz- Gaara-kun! You are..a very special person to me.” Lee spoke with a light pink blush decorating his cheeks, now staring into Gaara’s eyes as if he was quickly trying to find an answer for himself.

 

That certainly took Gaara by surprise. He never realized that Lee would go that far just to see him once more. With Lee’s speed, it would probably take him about a day in a half or two to get to Suna and it gave him pleasure to be able to talk to him for only just a minute before heading back straight to Konoha? He must mean a lot to Lee for him to do that or maybe that’s just what Lee would do for a friend. Gaara wouldn’t doubt that for a second.

 

“Thank you, Lee...you’re an...extremely loyal friend.” Gaara had a hard time trying to figure out the correct words to use while also trying to express how he felt in the situation. It made him feel...a tad giddy? That Lee would go to certain lengths like this for him. He still couldn’t truly explain the emotions he was feeling, he’s always had trouble figuring out the right words to use in situations such as these. He’s learning, that is for sure, but learning does take time.

 

Lee’s face suddenly dimmed, his bright smile saddening and his eyes went dull before he quickly recovered and that bright smile came back with full effort but something was wrong with it. It was more...forced than how it seemed genuine a moment ago. His eyes were still dull and Gaara noticed the hesitation again but this time, it was as if he wanted to move away. Lee only chuckled.

 

“It is no problem, Gaara-kun! Anything for such a youthful friend!” He spoke with that bright enthusiasm that no one even dared to go up against as he did his nice guy pose. He then took a step back and told him that he needed to depart, not leaving before hearing a confirmation and once said, he stepped out of the office and left.

 

Gaara blinked at the now slowly closing door, confused as to Lee’s actions and wondering if he had said something wrong. He closed his eyes in thought and when he didn’t find a reason for Lee to be upset or mad at him, Gaara concluded that maybe Lee just wasn’t feeling himself today.

 

A couple of hours passed by and the sky was now dark and filled with stars, the Kazekage office was dimly lit with light and the soft moonlight looming in through the windows. There was a knock on his door then the sound of it opening a few seconds later. In came Temari, holding a small folder in her hand, looking just as tired as Gaara probably would be at this hour.

 

“Last one for today, Gaara then you’ll be done for tonight. I hope you haven’t stressed yourself too much.” She spoke then covered her mouth, yawning quietly to further prove how tired she was. Temari smiled anyways, setting the folder on his desk and crossing her arms.

 

“So, about Lee coming in today. I just wanted to apologize. I knew that you didn’t want anyone bothering you today but I just thought Lee would be good company for you. He left earlier than I expected though…” Temari muttered the last part, mostly to herself as she tilted her head up to look at the ceiling. What a weird topic to discuss right now. “It was weird though. He looked different when he passed by me and left…”

 

This suddenly irked Gaara’s attention. He glanced up at Temari at the same time that she looked down at him. Her lips quirked in amusement but didn’t explain why, continuing with her story since she knew that Gaara would want her to elaborate.

 

“Yeah, I don’t know much about Lee apart from how eccentric and ambitious he is with a bit more facts that I heard from his friends but he’s a good kid. He always seems so bright and happy and I really almost didn’t realize how he looked when he walked by. His face was the same..but different? Seemed like something upset him...but I wouldn’t know. Again, I don’t know much about the kid.” Temari shrugged at the end of her rant, not expecting her to say that much, the words just kept tumbling out of her. When she glanced at Gaara, she had to raise an eyebrow at his expression. He was just staring at nothing yet he seemed to be in deep thought. Like the words that Temari had spurted out affected him some way to the point when he had to analyze everything.

 

“...Okay...Anyways, I’ll see you at home, Gaara. Finish up the paperwork in that folder!” She said and headed out, leaving Gaara to his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara spends some time thinking and getting to know a bit more about Lee from others. Familiar yet also unknown feelings arise.

 

 

Gaara was beyond confused at this point. Of course, he didn’t show it but it doesn’t excuse the fact that he was. For a couple of months now, he’s notice certain changes in his life. Nothing too out of the ordinary but they did catch his attention when he noticed. There wasn’t anything wrong with his village, his siblings weren’t sick and dying, he has still been getting his paperwork done on time, and you might think that everything was as it should be. But it wasn’t and Gaara doesn’t really know why, again, just noticing changes. Mostly in people.

 

He noticed how Temari’s eyes from time to time seemed to linger on the main entryway of the Kazekage office building, looking as if she was expecting someone. He began to hear soft conversations happening between the two other sand siblings. The strange changes didn’t stop at just Suna though, no. When he travels to Konoha for meetings, he sees how Tsunade’s eyebrows furrow when someone mentions a certain thing that seemed to remind her of something. How Gai’s attention would be dragged elsewhere and so were his student’s. Speaking of Gai’s students, he hasn’t seen Lee at all during the past few months. 

 

Gaara suddenly frowned slightly at the thought, recognizing how Lee just seemed to jump off the face of the Earth. Whenever someone comes directly to him to bring information about stuff regarding Suna and Konoha, it’s not Lee anymore! They’ve never been Lee when Lee is usually the only person who is sent here to give Gaara messages and information that has to deal with those two villages if discussed in the same way. It’s come to the point where Gaara kind of hopes that Lee will drop by and tell him good morning and yell about youth while providing him with a bright smile. He sometimes even asks Temari if she has heard news about Lee but doesn’t try to ask too often. Gaara doesn’t want to seem...desperate?

 

He thought that maybe he missed out on something? That something happened to Lee that he wasn’t aware of but everyone knows and just doesn’t want to tell him? Gaara suddenly felt a wave of anger course through his body when that thought crossed his mind. He’s supposed to know everything that happens regarding his village or the people he’s associated with. He is one of the highest authorities there were and no one mentioning to him something so important would just be uncivil. Gaara sighed and stared down at his desk, papers littered on top of it. Because of these thoughts, he’s been slow on work. The redhead still gets it done but slower than usual which no one really seemed to notice. He didn’t know if that was good or not.

 

Temari walked through his door without knocking and Gaara just stared up at her as she walked over to him, setting a scroll down on his desk. He only glanced at it before staring right back up at Temari. She hummed in response, placing a hand on her hip and staring right back, almost seeming unimpressed.

 

“Random guy from Konoha came with this. Says it’s some orders to agree or disagree on from Lady Tsunade. He just told me to present this to you and he went on his way.” The blonde girl said in a bored tone, glancing around the office and taking notice of a small pile of papers that weren’t finished or edited. She sighed and shook her head slowly, already knowing how the disappearance (that’s what Gaara believed it was) of Lee was affecting him. It’s a bit sad seeing Gaara in this state, his temper has been shorter and he’s been locking himself in his office for a while. That strange kid impacted Gaara’s life so much so it must hurt him if he really thinks that Lee just disappeared.

 

“Hey, if you’re feeling this down in the dumps, Gaara-” And even when the boy glared at her, she continued only for the sake of seeing how her idea might end up, “Maybe you should take a trip to Konoha and ask around for Lee. I really don’t think that it would be that hard to find him if you ask the right people.” She spoke softly, looking beside him and out of the window instead of into his eyes.

 

Gaara blinked slowly then thought about Temari’s suggestion. He didn’t really think about it like that. Every time he visited Konoha, all he did was worry and think about where Lee could be instead of actually acting on it and asking around for himself. He sort of felt stupid right then, knowing that his problem could have been sorted out sooner than now since all he was doing was wondering. He nodded at this, having made up his mind and stood up.

 

“I’m heading to Konoha.” He said with a blank tone and started walking out of his office immediately, shocking Temari a bit. She stared after him for a moment before it suddenly dawned upon her that Gaara wasn’t joking at all. Her mouth gaped open and closed for a period of time as she stared at Gaara’s desk then at his form before groaning and running after him. He couldn’t be going alone and unsupervised after all.

 

\-----------------

 

They arrived nearly a minute after, Gaara immediately grabbing Temari’s shoulder and letting his sand teleport them to Konoha. Once the sand disappeared, he let go of Temari and watched for a moment as she crouched down and coughed. She warned him to announce to her in advance about teleporting because her mouth was opened at the time and she could have sworn some sand got stuck in her throat. Temari soon let out a deep breath and stood up straight, dusting herself off and looking at Gaara, waiting.

 

“You should go find where Shikamaru is. I know that the only reason you came was just to have an excuse to see him again.” He said bluntly and walked away, not paying attention when Temari blushed a bright red, he had someone else to think and worry about and that someone was Lee. 

 

“Gaara?” Spoke a voice nearby which made him turn his head in the direction where he heard it from. He wasn’t that surprised to see Naruto here so he just nodded his head slightly to signal a greeting. Naruto smiled and walked up to him, now just strolling beside Gaara.

 

“What are you doing here? Did grandma Tsunade call you in?” He questioned, placing his hands behind his head and looking up at the sky. Gaara couldn’t help but wonder as to why Naruto was out here, so close to the opening in the first place but decided not to dwell on it.

 

“I’m looking for Lee. Have you seen him anywhere?” As soon as he said that, he stared at Naruto, trying to watch his expression when his question registered in his mind. The blue eyed boy frowned slightly for a second before his expression just shown mild confusion. He seemed to think about the question for a while, probably trying to remember the last time he had seen the overactive boy. He hummed for a second and then glanced in Gaara’s direction.

 

“Bushy Brow? I think the last time I’ve seen him today was when he was talking to Choji.” Naruto said slowly, staring off into the distance. His eyes seemed to catch something but he looked back at the other boy and smiled widely. “Yep! Definitely go check with Choji!”

 

Gaara heart did a strange thing in his chest. All this time, he was worried that Lee had disappeared but he hadn’t! Naruto just said that he saw him sometime today with another person. So Lee was still somewhere here around Konoha and when Gaara visited, he probably always came at the wrong time. He felt at ease with the knowledge that Lee was near but didn’t know why. He doesn’t know how these feelings started but every time he thought of Lee, it made him feel...happy. The image of Lee, smiling brightly at him as his eyes sparkled with mirth stirred something inside of Gaara and he thinks that wonderful image helped him continue to try and wonder about what happened to Lee.

 

“Thank you.” He spoke softly, his sand immediately wrapping around him and transporting him to Choji’s nearby location. He watched in silence as he noticed that the boy wasn’t alone, conversing naturally to Shikamaru. They were best friends after all, well, that’s what a lot of people said so Gaara just had to believe it. Gaara walked up behind them and made a small noise to signal their attention. They both looked up and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“Oh! Hey Gaara! What are you doing here?” Choji asked, smiling kindly at him and not seeming to mind that his conversation was interrupted. Shikamaru looked like he was just waiting for something which made Gaara almost shake his head. Some people are just so predictable.

 

“Naruto said that you seen Lee today. Do you know where he is? Temari is looking for you, Shikamaru.” He spoke without moving his gaze from Choji so it took a moment for the lazy boy to comprehend what he said. When he did though, his eyes widened slightly then went back to normal, trying to mask his feelings. He stood up slowly, “What a drag…guess I’ll have to go look for her.” Shikamaru muttered and said a goodbye to the other two before heading away.

 

“Huh. We didn’t even get to finish our conversation. Anyways, I’m very sorry, Gaara. I wasn’t the last person to see him. He was talking about visiting Tenten early so maybe try asking her!” Choji said sympathetically, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he waited for a response from the sand user.

 

“Thanks.” Was all that was muttered before he disappeared, followed by a whirl of sand. He appeared right behind Tenten and uttered out a “Hello” which scared her and made her jump away.

 

“Oh my goodness, Gaara! You scared me to death. What are you doing here?” She questioned, still crouched down in alert, her eyes wide with slight fright from the scare. It almost humored Gaara but he just crossed his arms and told Tenten about why he came to her in the first place. With the new information, she slowly stood up and raised her eyebrows in surprise before smiling as if she was hiding something. 

 

“Yeah, I seen him today! I wasn’t the last one though! Iruka-Sensei needed him for something so that’s probably who you should be asking!” Tenten said and quickly jumped away out of sight. Well, that was strange. He pursed his lips, unaware that his innocent visit was going to result in a goose chase. Oh well, it can’t be helped and so, he began his journey.

 

He traveled to Iruka and asked about Lee, which Iruka responded that he went on after Kakashi when Lee was finished with what he needed. Kakashi just muttered that Lee walked after Ino when they ended talking. Ino was touching her hair when she said that Lee left after braiding her hair, remembering that Sasuke was walking by so to maybe try him. Sasuke only made a irritated noise at Gaara’s presence and said Neji’s name. By the time he appeared behind Neji, he was a bit annoyed at the fact that he had to travel literally everywhere in Konoha yet he learned something while doing it. Lee seemed to know and were decent friends with almost everyone. He talked to people, bonded with them, helped them when they needed it. He wondered if Lee did that every day.

 

“Why are you here?” Neji spoke without even having to turn his head to look at Gaara. He sensed a sudden presence and immediately registered that it wasn’t an enemy of some sort. So, he just stayed there, sitting in the training field and looking out onto it. Gaara walked up and stood next to him, hoping to the heavens above that this would be his last stop. “Lee.” He just muttered in response, knowing that Neji would probably understand what he meant when he said the taijutsu master’s name. If not….he will.

 

Neji blinked, his expression was if something suddenly just dawned upon him and the slight smirk he had on his face made Gaara feel weird. Neji shifted in his spot but didn’t move his head at all to look up at Gaara directly and he hummed. “I seen Lee half an hour ago. He was helping an old shopkeeper restock her supplies. It was near a fruit shop and they seemed to be carrying a variety of trinkets. He’s probably still there. You wouldn’t want to miss him considering how you’ve been jumping place to place everywhere today.” He said, a tinge of smugness laced up in his voice and Gaara now knew why he was smirking in the first place. The redhead frowned, his eyes narrowing down at the other before walking away. He didn’t know where the shop was and what the shopkeeper looked like so he couldn’t rely on his sand to teleport him there. It could only do that with a place or face familiar to him. This was going to be a long day...


	3. Chapter 3

Gaara watched for a moment as the sun slowly began to descend down towards the horizon, behind the trees and mountains to rest and let the moon shine. That peaceful display helped the Kazekage to realize that he’s been searching for Lee all day, overstaying his abrupt welcome into this village. Had he have noticed the time sooner, he would have been gone by now...right? He honestly doesn’t know what he would have done but now wasn’t the time to think about the past, now was the time to focus on why he was still searching for a shopkeeper who is probably not even out anymore at this time.

The realization of that dawned upon him as he stood in the center of the village, houses and shops surrounding him. Shops were closed or being closed and dark while houses were still and shut. He briefly wondered for a moment if he walked in a big circle, this place seemingly so familiar to him from today. Had he walked here again, hoping that maybe if he ventured here twice, Lee would be around? Who knows, he doesn’t really remember. Gaara hasn’t felt this lost and stumped in a long time while not knowing which place to go. The rare villagers that walked by him glanced in his direction with shock and awe but minded their own business and that’s when he recognized that he wasn’t all that alone out here.

Maybe he should head home and try again the next day, maybe he should ask around a bit about a shopkeeper who sells little trinkets to make his search for the taijutsu user shorter in the morning. Yet something deep within his gut and mind tells him that would be useless and even more of a waste of time then he thinks it would be. They tell him to keep walking, to keep searching for Lee all day and night without stopping until they finally find him. What was even the purpose of him coming out here anyways? To just find Lee and see if he’s even alive? Or to grab him by the arms and hold him so tightly that he would not have anywhere else to go. That he can just stay in his embrace and Gaara wouldn’t have to worry about where he is or if he’s okay because he’ll just be in his arms, safe.

The sand in his gourd swirled and moved against the inside, seemingly liking the idea of having Lee in Gaara’s embrace. It tapped against the lid of the gourd before popping it off and coming out slowly, lazily wrapping around the redhead's mid waist and that made his eyes widen as an idea, or more of a realization, came to mind. His sand can transport him to anywhere or anyone that’s familiar to him. That thought came across to him earlier that day and he hadn’t even thought for a second to let his sand guide him to Lee itself. The sand wrapped a bit tighter around his waist in response.

“I’m so stupid..” He murmured, his voice monotone yet tempered. The sand shook slightly, most likely in agreement before wrapping around all of him and his gourd completely before enveloping him.

\-----------------

The sand appeared in a different and open location, swirling up before Gaara’s form appeared in it and then going back into the gourd once Gaara had fully transported to the new spot. He blinked for a moment then looked around him, seeing a completely open field in front of him and a wide length of trees that surrounded behind him. The field gave off a nice view of the now dark sky. The light from the moon and stars seemed to give the grass below him a lighter color then usual but what really caught his attention was the familiar body peacefully laying down in the grass a bit of a distance away from him.

He froze in his spot and stared, watching the boy’s chest move up and down slowly and he just noticed a little squirrel resting there. Gaara couldn’t help but wonder if Lee was being careful of his own breathing so he wouldn’t disrupt the squirrel’s rest the same way that Gaara was so he wouldn’t get caught. Gaara blinked at that thought. Why was he so worried about being caught? He was only staring at his friend, was there something wrong with that? Maybe to others and as he unfroze in his spot to move a bit closer, the grass underneath him gliding with his movements, he couldn’t stop his breath from catching at the serene look that Lee had on his face. That rare look had Gaara’s chest tighten and he wanted to see more of that enchanting expression.

Should he even say anything at this point and risk this moment? He didn’t know if he was fully content with watching Lee from a distance like he always had to do. He wanted to be closer to him, to be able to touch and feel him close for a long time. Probably even forever if life let him. Gaara swore he blushed when his mind thought of these things but maybe that’s what he’s been trying to do for a while. He’s been so confused and angry for so long at himself because he knows that he feels something for Lee yet he never knew what it was. Maybe these thoughts have been trapped in his mind for so long and all that it took was this wild goose chase for them to reveal themselves more openly.

“Lee.” He finally spoke out loud, much closer to the boy then when he first seen him tonight. Now, with a much more clear understanding of his feelings, he’s ready to approach Lee about them. 

The wide eyed boy flinched in what appeared to be surprise then moved his head up and suddenly those big dark eyes were staring right into him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion then in shock but he didn’t move from where he was. That was fine though, Gaara was totally okay with the idea of getting closer to the other male himself. As he walked, his movements were slow as if he was moving towards a frightened animal, Lee’s eyes never moving away from his and the gaze they shared almost felt intimate. 

Lee looked away, carefully picking up the squirrel from his chest and sitting up. It’s eyes opened slowly, looking around and twitching its head before jumping off of Lee’s hands and onto the ground, running away into the forest. Gaara saw a soft smile decorate Lee’s face for a moment then he turned his head and his attention was directed towards Gaara again.

“Kazekage-sama, what are you doing here so late at night?” Lee asked, watching as the boy in question sat beside him quietly. He really didn’t expect anyone to find him out here but he shouldn’t be surprised. Lee also should have known that avoiding the other boy wouldn’t work out and he should not have even done it to begin with. Oh well, it really shouldn’t matter now at this point.

“It’s Gaara,” Gaara said bluntly as he stared directly at Lee, “I’ve been looking for you all day.” The black haired boy blushed as his own eyes widened in surprise. Was what Gaara-kun said true? Had he really been searching for him all day and for what? He immediately felt bad for having Gaara-kun stay out all day and night.

“I apologize for having you look for me all day! You must be so tired yet I cannot help but to admire your youthful dedication. If it is okay, may I ask why you were looking for me?” Lee said, confused beyond belief. Gaara couldn’t blame him though, he was questioning himself about the true reason as to why he looked for Lee all day. It was more than just wondering where he was.

“Well, at first, I came here to ask why you haven’t been coming to Suna anymore. You usually visit when you have a message to send from the Hokage but a different person has been coming.” As he said this, he noticed the way that Lee’s eyes widened once again tonight.

“Ah..well, I gue-” The older boy was suddenly cut off by Gaara who lifted his hand up to stop him. Lee just stayed silent, only nodding for Gaara to say what he wanted to say.

“I am sorry to interrupt you but I didn’t finish and I really feel like I should express to you what I’m feeling. I came here to ask you about where you were at first but I realized that I don’t care about that anymore.” Once he said that, Lee was even more confused now. His mind whirled around at the thousands of possibilities and outcomes to this conversation. Especially when Gaara reached over to gently hold his hands, he feels like he might pass out.

“All I really wanted to do today was find you and be with you. Your absence made me long for you in a way that I’ve never felt before…” He said this as his thumb slowly moved back and forth against Lee’s bandaged knuckles. He wants to be closer. “I missed your voice, missed your smile, longed for your gaze, and hoped to be in your presence once more.”

Lee stared at Gaara intensely, not knowing what else to do at this moment. Each word that spilled out of Gaara’s mouth made him feel so warm inside and out. His face was heating up and he did not know how to take this, he was not trained or used to people saying their feelings for him in this sort of way. “G-Gaara-kun..what are you saying?!” He questioned, attempting to tug his hands out of the others grip but was stunned when he just gripped harder.

“I’m in love with you, Lee.”

Silence came after that, Lee’s tugging came to a stop as his heart skipped a beat. His mouth was agape slightly and all he did at that moment was stare. Gaara did not say a word either, his eyes unmoving and his grip unrelenting. He won’t move until Lee says something, anything.

“You..” The taijutsu user’s voice finally coming back to him but so weak, “You are probably very mistaken, Gaara-kun. You can’t-”

“I can’t what? Can’t have feelings for you? You think all of what I said was some sick joke? Ever since we’ve known each other..ever since you forgave me for doing something so cruel to you, I have been nothing but honest with you. I love you, Lee.” He said with so much emotion in his heart, it was almost overwhelming. The feeling in his chest that’s been causing him so much confusion finally had a name. And that name was ‘Love’.

“Gaara-kun…” He said in what Gaara would believe was awe. Lee felt tears prickle in his eyes at the reassurance that Gaara gave him, they slowly flowed down his cheeks and the young Kazekage reached up to wipe his tears. Lee moved his hand up to place it against the one on his cheek.

“I...I feel as if I should now tell you why I have not been to Suna in a while.”

“You really don’t have to-”

“Shh..I was not done talking.” Lee smiled shyly in the other’s direction and glanced down before sighing then glancing back up. Gaara immediately noticed the determination in his eyes and he doesn’t speak.

“The last time I went to Suna, it was my own personal mission to confess to you,” Lee looked down when Gaara’s eyes widened, “Everything went normal yet I was so nervous. Who would not be when you are trying to confess to your crush? Though, when you mentioned me as loyal friend...I could not do it. I thought that if you seen me as a friend, you would see me as nothing more but that and yet I couldn’t face you anymore. I was not going to completely ignore you but I needed to straighten my thinking. It was so stupid of me and I should not have worried you to that extent. I deeply apolo-” Lee’s quick explanation was cut off when a hand reached behind him to pull him towards Gaara, their lips pressing together softly.

His eyes widened even more than they already were, surprised at what was happening but he happily embraced it, slowly closing his eyes and kissing Gaara back with so much affection that he hoped Gaara could feel it. He has been waiting so long for this moment and it honestly felt like a dream. If it was, he never wanted to wake up.

Kissing Lee felt like an experience to Gaara, even if he has never kissed anyone before, a whole wave of emotions seemed to embrace him. He felt lighter and even a bit dizzy, feeling the sand in his gourd swirling around, he knew that somehow it felt what he was feeling. Gaara had the urge to deepen it, make Lee submit and let him truly feel all of these deep emotions that needed to finally be unlocked within him so he started to do so and wow, it was even more addicting.

Lee gasped away from the kiss, trying to regain his breath from it while also trying to calm down from that way too dizzy feeling. Gaara let him, resisting his own urges so Lee can catch his breath but that didn’t stop his hands from free roaming the other’s body.

“Gaara-kun…” Lee whined slowly, looking up at him with wide eyes that Gaara wouldn’t mind drowning in. He finally got his wish to be this close to the boy and he was going to do everything in his power to forever keep it that way.

“Yes Lee?” He muttered, watching as Lee’s breathing seemed to slow down and once he smiled that bright, famous smile of his, Gaara for sure knew that he was a goner.

“I love you too.” Those four words practically oozed warmth and fondness, Gaara couldn’t help but to smother Lee in another kiss. He knew now that this was something that he’s been waiting so long for and nobody was going to change or get in the way of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! It took me forever but this story is finally done and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!


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